Drug-using mom who allegedly let her toddler freeze to death on front porch begs judge to be released from jail [UPDATE]

A North Carolina woman accused of letting her toddler son freeze to death on her front porch has failed in an attempt to get out of jail, according to WCNC.

Judge Robert Ervin refused to switch Jamie Basinger’s bond from secured to unsecured on Wednesday, meaning her family will have to pay more than $55,000 to get her out of jail. Basinger’s family told WSOC that they can’t afford to bail her out.

“It’s not right to me that she is incarcerated where she has not been proven guilty,” the woman’s attorney, Frank Webster, said. “We believe she will be found not guilty. It is a tragic accident, and it’s not a crime what happened.”

As Crime Online previously reported, Landyn Melton, 3, wandered out of his Burke County house after celebrating his third birthday. Temperatures were in the 20s on the night in question. Basinger and her boyfriend were allegedly sleeping when the door slammed behind the toddler, trapping him outside. A passerby found Melton’s body on the front porch the next morning.

Basinger later admitted to using meth and marijuana just two days before Melton’s death, though she still maintains it was only an accident. She was indicted in March on felony child abuse and involuntary manslaughter charges, according to WNCN.

“She needs to get on with grieving, get some counseling, get some help, ’cause while she is in there she’s not gonna get none of that,” the suspect’s stepfather, Brent Basinger, told reporters.

After denying Basinger’s original request, her attorney asked the court to speed up the legal process and start a trial as soon as possible. Judge Ervin has scheduled a preliminary hearing in September and a possible trial date for December 11.

[Featured Image: Burke County Sherriff’s Office/WSOC]